Pres. Trump blames teleprompter for Revolutionary War 'airports' flub

Plus, another strong earthquake shook Southern California Friday night. [View in browser]( [Image](  JULY 5, 2019 President Donald Trump delivered a Fourth of July speech Thursday [long on praise for America and its armed forces and devoid of the highly political content]( critics feared he would inject into his taxpayer-funded Fourth of July extravaganza.  The speech at the Lincoln Memorial lasted nearly an hour and touted the strength of America. The president name-checked Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart and Frederick Douglass. He thanked the armed services of the present and the future, including “the Space Force.” But while speaking about the fight for America’s independence, the president said,  "In June of 1775, the Continental Congress created a unified Army out of the Revolutionary Forces encamped around Boston and New York, and named after the great George Washington, commander in chief." (The army was not named after Washington.)  "It then got stranger," writes [NBC News' Dareh Gregorian](. [Image]( Watch the full video of Trump's "Salute to America" address [here](. "Our Army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do, and at Fort McHenry, under the rocket's red glare it had nothing but victory," said Trump. (Airports did not exist during the Revolutionary War.)  Trump, speaking to reporters Friday en route to his property in Bedminster, New Jersey, acknowledged he had some technical problems because of the soggy conditions during his speech.  "We had a lot of rain. I stood in the rain. The teleprompter went out," he said in response to a question from NBC's Kelly O'Donnell. "It kept going on, and then at the end, it just went out. It went kaput!"  Despite the blunder, the president didn’t seem too disappointed about his performance. "I do the speech very well, so I was able to do it without a teleprompter,” he said.  In Case You Missed It: Videos from MSNBC Today [Image]( [Donald Trump considering an executive order to add citizenship question to census]( President Donald Trump spoke about the 2020 census while speaking to reporters Friday. 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Ivanka Trump's Asia trip wasn't just awkward — it will harm American diplomacy. The implications of this performance are serious — for the effective conduct of U.S. foreign policy, for our own democratic institutions and traditions, and for what it tells us about the president’s future intentions. By [Daniel B. Shapiro](, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel. This newsletter was prepped for you by Stephanie Haberman and Cameron Taylor Oakes.  Tell us what you think of the news and [drop us an e-mail](mailto:msnbc.digital.editors@nbcuni.com?subject=MSNBC Daily). We may publish a selection of your responses in our weekend edition.  Were you forwarded this email from a friend?  [Subscribe here](. [Image]( Follow MSNBC [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [LinkedIn]( Check out the MSNBC channel on Apple News  Download the NBC News Mobile App and watch MSNBC [Image] [Image] [Privacy]( [Unsubscribe](listvar=sub_daily)